Thought you may like this pic.

[philward]

UK weather definitely - 15000 miles year but probably mixture of short and long rides. Tried all kinds - spraying oil down them! There wasn't many Honda 4s with std exhausts back in the day I seem to remember

Sent from my Moto G (5) using Tapatalk

[Seamus]

Nice period picture. According to DVLA, its still about too.

[Spitfire]

Great photo, I think a top box was compulsory back in those days, though I can remember going to the chippie once and putting all the food in mine, after a spirited ride home the food was plastered all over the inside of the box. Was not impressed, neither was my hungry mates.

Cheers

Dennis

[K2-K6]

UK weather definitely - 15000 miles year but probably mixture of short and long rides. Tried all kinds - spraying oil down them! There wasn't many Honda 4s with std exhausts back in the day I seem to remember

Sent from my Moto G (5) using Tapatalk

It's running richer than ideal that really compromised them,  ultimately mix of condensation and effectively something towards sulphuric acid from sulphur mixed with incomplete burn that rotted them.  Cars where the same,  a friend worked in an exhaust shop of which the owner bought car rear boxes in at just over £1 wholesale,  ultimately made him a millionaire from the markup on those.  He said they were by far the most margin of anything he did business wise.
Notice that with catalytic converters and the consequential control of combustion, that scenario has almost completely dissappeared.

[Andrew-S]

Those exhaust lasted well (71 to 77) Andrew - mine used to fall apart in the first year or 2!

The bike had only covered about 7,500 miles from new when I bought it Phil - it was first registered on 5 May 72 , although I now suspect it may have been down the road due to the K2 headlight brackets and no fork gaitors. I  remember exhausts were not in great condition, so very possible the original HM300s?

[steff750]

  always great to see old pics keep em coming 

[Mr_Sheene]

On the subject of 'bacon slicers' , I think the date that you could remove them was late 1975.  I bought a new CB250 G5 at Easter and it came with a front number plate. HLH477N , where are you now. It's the bike in the avatar. A few months later a friend of mine and I were messing about with the bikes on the beach at Fleetwood, when a Traffic PC on a bike stopped us. Not for riding on the beach but to give Derek a warning about having removed his 'bacon slicer' a few weeks before the law went into force.  Goody two shoes still had his fitted. I took it off on the date in became law and my Dad put it in his desk. Just in case.  It was still there a few years ago but has since disappeared because I thought of putting it onto my restoration or originality.